Grounded
by Kitichan
Summary: Sam knew it was a little unorthodox dragging Gabriel across country when technically... the angel was no longer in his body. But if Castiel could come back from the dead, so could Gabriel. Right? Sam/Gabriel, eventual Dean/Castiel
1. Once Awakened

A/N: Hello and thank you for giving my story a shot. I wrote this primarily because I was dissatisfied with Gabriel's send off right as his character was becoming developed. That, and I have such a soft spot for the oddly mismatched couple of Sam and Gabriel. I hope you enjoy my work, please note that I took some liberties with Gabriel so if you think he sounds a little off, you're probably right. I will work harder on that in future chapters. In any case, enjoy!

****Once Awakened****

Sam was running. His feet pounded against pavement as he pushed himself, half blindly, down the road. It was dark and the cool chill of the night was biting at his skin but he paid it no attention, much like he didn't to his brother's shouts and protests.

"SAM! Stop! You freaking idiot! STOP! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Dean all but screamed at him, toppling out of the car and trying in vain to catch up. Sam just picked up speed. He was taller, sure, bigger, yes but if he wanted to he could outrun his brother.

How had he gotten out of the car in the first place? Oh right. He had calmly, wits not really about him, told Dean to stop the car. Which of course, Dean ignored. So he insisted, voice picking up, that Dean needed to stop the car. Stop the car, NOW. When his brother still refused, Sam had opened the door and flung himself out, rolling precariously on the ground for more than a couple minutes before coming to a stop. Every muscle in his body screamed at him for making the stupid move and he had a few cuts that he was sure would take a while to heal but he was smart enough to at least tuck into himself before diving out. He carefully got on one knee, grunting with effort, as the car came to a screeching halt. He could see Dean's angry face before he took even one step out of the vehicle. Before Sam knew it he was on his feet and running in the direction from which they came, back towards the claws of the devil.

Sam could tell even without the sounds of ragged breathing and harsh foot falls that Dean was right behind him.

"Sam! Slow the fuck down! What are you trying to do! Fist fight Satan to death?! C'mon Sam! Get real here!"

"Shut up Dean, get Kali out of here if you're so afraid."

They had barely escaped after all. Gabriel had given them just enough time to get out. Sam blinked rapidly and took a deep breath, as deep as he could possibly manage while running, and tried with all his might to sprint faster. They had left him alone to fight the devil. Alone. Gabriel was alone. Sam felt like he couldn't breathe, his lungs were rippling with a need for oxygen. He slowed slightly and took deep gasps of air, glancing behind him. Satisfied that Dean was a good distance away, he slowed again to a jog. The motel couldn't be that far off. Panic and fear began to worm its way into his veins, causing his blood to run cold.

_What can you possibly do to help Sam?_ He though.

Lights began to shine dimly in front of him. Ignoring the subtle stiffness in his legs, Sam picked up the pace and jogged towards it, towards the motel. He peered at it cautiously as he drew nearer, trying to gauge whether or not it posed an immediate threat. He quickly patted his body down, reaching around his side and pulling out Ruby's knife from his back pocket. Well... at least he had something. Sam hesitated briefly before sighing and taking a step towards the entrance. Nothing seemed entirely foreboding. But he had been caught off guard before. It wasn't just demons they were dealing with.

Sam pulled open the heavy wooden door and cautiously took a step in, careful to monitor not only his surroundings but his body. He trusted it would alert him, that his hairs would start prickling against his arm if something was amiss. He crept past the front desk, face contorting with disgust at the mutilated body just behind it. Surely Lucifer's work. He urged his legs to move on, to carry him towards the hallway they had been sprinting down just an hour before. To get away. Now he was moving forward, back towards what they had been so desperate to put distance between. Sam felt his heart rate pick up. Everything was so quiet... he gripped the handle of the knife tightly in his fist. Vaguely he wondered if Dean had caught up to him, if he too stared at the entrance of the motel with dread. Sam hoped his brother had given up and was running back towards the Impala to arm himself. Carefully he poked his head around a corner of the hallway, expecting to see _something_. There was nothing but the blood stained walls and the eerie silence to greet him.

Sam blinked and shifted the knife uneasily between his fingers. He could feel it. He was getting closer to the room where they thought they were going to meet a quick demise at the Devil's hand. He fought back the dread that began lacing itself through his very veins. Everything was too quiet. Surely if the Devil were still here... he would feel something, right? Sam saw it. The doorway to the room. He felt his stomach drop unexpectedly as he inched his way towards it. There was nothing. No heaviness in the air, no sparks or flashes of light. There was only the stench of blood hanging heavy in the atmosphere and the occasional body laying mauled on the floor. He stepped over them gingerly, focusing all his attention on that room. Something deeply unsettling began worming its way through his thoughts but he frantically pushed it away. Gabriel could fend for himself. He wouldn't let himself be killed by Lucifer, he was quick witted, sly. He faked his death so many times before, surely he would do it again to make a quick escape. Sam swallowed the oncoming fear and stepped through the doorway, knife at the ready.

He should have been prepared for what he saw. He lived the life of a hunter after all; nothing they saw should be startling or new. The pain that gripped him as he took in what could only be described as the final stand both took him by surprise and ripped him open. Before him lay an angel, the dark shadow of its wings imprinted on the ground around it. Sam stepped forward and felt more than heard the disbelieving grunt that slipped past his lips. He bent down before he knew what he was doing and gently gripped the shoulders of the angel. His face seemed so peaceful as if in sleep; his eyelashes were pointed downward on the gentle curve of his cheekbone and his mouth was slightly parted. Sam could almost picture the slight rise and fall of his chest if it weren't for the gaping hole just below his breast bone. Gabriel. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing.

Sam fought back the hysteria that threatened to overwhelm him. He pulled the body in his grasp closer to his chest protectively. Sam gazed at the feathery outline of Gabriel's wings; he blinked as he ran a finger through the coal textured soot that covered the floor, that marked where Gabriel's wings had fallen.

None of this... was this real?

Sam took a deep breath and against his better judgment, shifted his weight to the back of his heels and rose to his feet, dragging the body with him. Gabriel was small, compact enough to fit snugly against his chest. He just had to ignore the fact that the angel in his arms was... Sam swallowed his train of thought and began making his way towards the door. Back towards the exit. He couldn't even muster up the energy to be alarmed when he heard heavy footsteps making their way down the hallway just beyond the door. Where had Ruby's knife fallen? He glanced down at Gabriel and thought: Even if what was rushing towards him were a threat, he couldn't just drop the body cradled in his arms. He couldn't just leave Gabriel...

Dean's shocked but flushed face popped into view. He was panting harshly, a long rifle gripped tightly in his hand. So he had gone back to thecar... The elder Winchester looked to be on the verge of a verbal smackdown when he saw the small frame huddled against his younger brother. His face softened slightly as his breathing began to even out. He took a hesitant step towards the two.

"Is he..?"

Sam frowned deeply and shifted Gabriel's weight in his arms. He began making long strides towards the exit of the motel. The sooner they put distance between themselves and this place, the better. There were bodies everywhere and the heavy cling of the supernatural hung over every space the small motel provided. Dean cursed behind him but gathered enough sense to trail along beside his younger counterpart. Sam caught him staring at the angel in his hands.

"Sam," Dean began when they pushed open the front door of the motel. Sam saw the Impala parked hazardously near the parking lot. At least they didn't have to walk far. "Sam, what are you planning on doing... with that?"

Sam grimaced at the choice of words. He snorted lightly as he opened the door to the Impala with a loud creak and pushed the front seat forward. With as much gentleness as possible, he lay the body of the angel in the backseat, careful to arrange his arms neatly by his sides. Sam frowned at Dean when he pulled back and looked his brother in the face. Dean looked about as eager to have Gabriel along for the ride as he would if the angel were a blood sucking zombie vamp.

"We're taking _Gabriel_ with us," Sam said with ease, as if it was obviously the only option, "Or have you forgotten his name already?"

Dean gave him an incredulous look.

"You're fucking with me, right?" he asked, running a hand through his short, dirty blonde hair.

Sam mustered up the best bitchface he could and shot it at his brother. Dean winced slightly.

"No man, Gabriel's riding shotgun," he said with an air of finality. There was no room for argument. Dean groaned.

"Sam, dude's dead. In case you didn't notice," he stated drily, leaning against the car and peering in at the angel with what appeared to be distaste.

Sam snorted again and pushed the front seat back, settling himself easily against the upholstery.

"Someone brought back Cas," he noted quietly, leaning back to catch the sight of Gabriel's body in his peripheral, "Who knows? Maybe it's God. And maybe he'll bring back Gabriel. All I know is this.."

Sam set his gaze fiercely on his older brother.

"If he comes back, he'll need a body."

Dean rolled his eyes but sullenly moved around the car towards the driver's seat. He plopped down angrily and shoved the keys in the ignition.

"Whatever dude, but the second he starts decomposing and stinking up my baby, I'm tossing him to the curb. I _mean_ it, Sam," he griped, turning up the volume of his music to drown out any argument Sam would surely start, "Now let's get the hell out of this place. It's giving me the chills."

Sam smiled slightly and nodded, glancing in the rearview mirror. Gabriel just looked to be asleep. Sam blinked a couple times as the unsettling feeling returned to his body. He pushed it away and clung to the much smaller feeling fighting to make itself known. He glanced back towards the open road.

Hope, after all, was a dangerous feeling to cling to.

**88888**

By their third day of driving, the duo nearly forgot they were essentially hauling a corpse across country. Occasionally Dean would joke about it, asking if they should bring Gabriel into the diners they frequented. Or if, perhaps, they should just get him a happy meal from MacDonald's along the way. It always caused Sam to roll his eyes and fuss. It unnerved him enough to think that the angel could have just as easily passed out in their backseat as if he had been drinking alcohol stores dry. Most of the time, Gabriel didn't look dead at all. Just... entirely too peaceful for his rather obnoxious personality. Half the time, Sam kept his eyes glued to the rearview mirror. Eventually they had buckled up Gabriel's body, to keep him from sliding all around. Now he just looked like a small hitchhiker. Not an all powerful archangel.

"So, have you thought about what we're going to do when he doesn't just wake up?" Dean asked casually one day. His fingers tapped along to the music playing on the radio. Sam noticed their anxiousness immediately. He shrugged then sighed as he settled back into his seat.

"I dunno, maybe try to find him a prince charming to wake him from his eternal slumber," he joked, somewhat scornfully. He would venomously protest disposing of Gabriel's body, he was ready to fight tooth and nail. Dean just laughed easily, keeping his amused look on the road.

"Right, pucker up buddy 'cause I'll be damned if I'm kissing him," he replied snootily.

The two sat in awkward silence for a moment. Sam chose to willfully ignore what would happen if Gabriel did not wake up. He opted to wonder what would happen _when_ Gabriel woke up. The silence was broken by a wail of a siren. Sam jumped and immediately shifted his attention to the back of the car. Sure enough, a police cruiser was hot on their heels, flashing its lights in their direction.

"Shit," he swore immediately, turning to look at Dean, "Shit. Shitshitshit, were you going above the speed limit?!"

Dean huffed irritably.

"Of course I was, no one goes fifty five miles on the highway!" he whined, slowing the car to a halt.

Sam groaned and rubbed a hand down his face.

"_We_ go fifty five miles on the highway because _we_ happen to have a dead body in the backseat, Dean!" he hissed, anxiety already winding its way through his body as they threw the car in park, "Shit!"

Dean grimaced as the police officer exited the car. His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"Shit is right," he grumbled, "We might have to take this guy out."

Sam stared openly at his brother.

"Right, cause bringing more attention to ourselves is _exactly _what we need. We're supposed to be _dead_ in the eyes of the law, Dean!" he whispered viciously as the officer rounded on their car, peering curiously at the three passengers.

His eyes lingered on Gabriel, who was currently slumped against the backseat. At least he looked asleep... not dead.

"Hello there, son," the officer began when Dean rolled down his window, "How are you doing this evening?"

"Peachy," Dean grumbled, already reaching for his fake driver's license and the car's registration. Also conveniently faked to ensure the safety of the car.

The officer hummed in approval when he was handed the items.

"Any idea why I pulled you over today?" he asked casually, flipping the driver's license over in his hand.

Dean grumbled a response that sounded a lot like 'driving around dead bodies' before Sam slapped a hand on his shoulder and smiled brightly at the officer.

"I'm afraid my brother has a lead foot, sir," he chirped as Dean scowled darkly at him, "Nasty habit he picked up from our dad."

The officer nodded along to the story but much to the Winchesters' dismay, his eyes were glued to Gabriel, who sat motionlessly in the back.

The cop pointed with the tip of a pen he seemed to have drawn out of nowhere.

"Your buddy there alright?" he questioned. Sam held back a groan, he could hear the suspicion in that voice.

"He's sleeping off a rough night," Dean immediately jumped in, giving the officer his most charming smile.

It wasn't to be bought.

"I'm going to need you three to step out of the car for a moment," he said slowly, eyes clearly reflecting his suspicion.

As the officer walked back to his car to document Dean's license and registration, the Winchesters panicked slightly. Dean slammed his hands down against the steering wheel.

"Shit," he hissed, sighing as he opened the door to the driver's seat.

Sam felt something itching beneath the surface of his skin. Quickly and without alarming the officer, he reached over the backseat and bodily hauled Gabriel into the front with him. Trying to quell the panic rising within him, he opened his door and stepped out, trying vainly to make Gabriel stand straight. The angel just slumped pathetically against Sam's larger frame like a drunk. Sam fought the urge to smile. This wasn't funny. The officer returned and slowly handed back Dean's license. He eyed how closely Sam was standing to Gabriel. Sam could only hope the officer was stupid enough not to notice how Gabriel's knees were bent and that the only thing holding him up was Sam's hand fisted in the back of his shirt.

"We have a small drug problem along these here parts," the officer began, eyes never leaving Gabriel; Sam counted his blessings because Gabriel's head was in such a way that his eyes were hidden from the officer's gaze, "Usually run by a couple guys down this highway."

"That's unfortunate," Dean muttered.

Sam swallowed thickly, recognizing the fight-or-flight cues flowing out of his brother's body. They needed to do something. Something _quick_. The officer took a step towards Gabriel.

"You feeling alright there, son? You're leaning awful heavily against your partner there."

Sam felt it necessary to panic. The officer was addressing Gabriel. _Gabriel_. Dead Gabriel. Fuck, they were screwed. The officer frowned and arched an eyebrow expectantly. Just as Sam was contemplating the best way to kick the feet out from underneath the officer and make a quick getaway, he heard a startled gasp come from beside him and a murmured "Lucifer". The younger Winchester shifted his gaze to his side and saw Gabriel, eyes wide and shining gold, standing, on his own two feet, looking completely out of his element. Before he could even muster an ounce of relief or happiness or both, Sam found the air being shoved maliciously from his chest as an elbow came into contact with his ribs and bodily knocked him to the ground. He cried out, the pain immense and sudden, and barely gathered he was no longer standing when he heard Dean shout and collapse beside him, hissing in anger or in pain.

Everything was a surreal blur. Sam briefly saw a gun and heard a shot fire but there was a bright, ungodly flash of light that blocked out everything. He had to shield his eyes and even then, the shock was too bright. Eventually it died down and Sam could see somewhat. The officer was at least fifty feet away on his back, hopefully breathing. The police car had been flipped. Luckily for Dean, the Impala was blown at least several yards back but otherwise looked unaffected. Sam sighed in relief. A irritated, hurt Dean did not make the best travel companion. His relief was short-lived as he felt hands grip him from the front of his jacket and haul him upward. His breath caught in his throat as shining, malicious golden eyes bore holes into his eye sockets. Gabriel was scowling ominously, looking as close to archangel as he's ever had.

"Where's Lucifer?" he growled, eyes never wavering for a second. Sam swallowed drily. A pissed off Gabriel was significantly different from the Trickster the Winchesters had come to know. Sam swallowed again then wet his lips, trying to find his voice.

"I don't know," he said shallowly, voice sounding meager and frightened, even to himself, "He flew off I guess.. after he... uh…"

Gabriel stared at the younger Winchester, nothing but sheer intensity flashing in his eyes. Sam grappled for words.

"Gabriel..." he managed, a hand coming up to grasp desperately at the hands literally holding him up, "Gabriel..."

The angel seemed to wince at his name. Slowly, and with great reluctance, the hands gripping him tightly by the front of his shirt began to ease. Sam felt like he could breathe again. He sucked in hungry gasps of air, blinking rapidly as Gabriel's front began to crumble. The angel quickly hauled Sam to his feet, releasing him. He took a step back and gingerly folded his arms across his chest, giving the younger Winchester a quick smirk.

"Hey kiddo," he said in a clipped tone, as if all the walls he had suddenly built around himself were slowly, ever so slowly beginning to shrink.

Sam stared, trying little by little to get a grasp on what just happened.

"You..." not taking his gaze from the angel, he threw out an arm and waved it around the destruction zone Gabriel had caused, "What was all that?!"

Gabriel snorted quietly, careful to hold his arms under or away from the hole pierced through his chest. Sam could sense the angel's curiosity with it. Like Gabriel wanted to, before anything else, touch the wound and inspect it. Of course he would not while he was warily eyeing up the gigantic Winchester before him. He took a step towards Sam. The younger Winchester noticed immediately that it was wobbly, barely keeping the angel on his feet. Gabriel blinked several times. The wariness in his eyes seemed to subside slightly, being replaced by a sudden lethargy. Sam reached a hand out to steady the angel, only to have it smacked away lightly. Gabriel sneered harmlessly at him.

"I'm not the damsel in distress here, you great lug," he whined, sounding more or less like his old self.

For this, Sam was extremely grateful. He even felt the corners of his mouth turn upward slightly.

"Kind of looks that way from here, Gabriel," he said quietly, smirking at the ugly face the angel shot at him.

Gabriel staggered for a moment longer before sighing and resigning himself to lean against Sam. He looked up at the younger Winchester with a frown.

"Sorry if I broke your ribs," he muttered, seeming more sheepish than apologetic.

Sam took what he could get.

"You only bruised them, which I got to say is pretty good for a dead guy," he responded, smiling when he heard Dean groan and roll over onto his back.

"God damn angels, all of them. I liked you better when you were a corpse we were just hauling around for shits and giggles," he all but snarled, though given his position it seemed a lot less intimidating. Gabriel acknowledged it as such.

"Explains why I'm about to pass the fuck out," the angel mused, trying desperately not to cling to Sam's side at this point, "I just expelled all my grace at once."

He cocked an eyebrow and threw a smirk Dean's way.

"Thought you were Luci for a second there Deano," he teased.

"Cause me and the goddamn Devil are twins," he groused, finally sitting up and stretching out the sores of his body. He made a nasty face as he gripped his tail bone.

Sam blinked in surprise when Gabriel finally collapsed against him. He held the angel by his shoulders, much like the first day he found him... dead. Sam shivered. It did not go unnoticed by Gabriel. The angel again snorted and reached his hands out to cling to Sam's jacket.

"Hey, focus on getting me somewhere to lie down before you go into crisis mode, ok? This whole, coming back to life gig isn't like walking through the gates of heaven," he fussed, laughing at the situation when Sam finally hauled him from his feet and carried him towards the Impala, "Oh Sam, my knight in shining armor!"

Sam grumbled uselessly.

"Don't get used to it," he muttered, gently kicking under Dean's bottom to get him to rise, "C'mon Dean, before that cop wakes up."

Dean scurried to his feet, groaning loudly as his body protested.

"Got to keep a lid on that anger, Gabriel," he warned, fishing around for the nearly forgotten set of car keys.

"I can't understand anything you're saying, half-wit, I'm shutting down. Keep me somewhere safe boys. Goodnight," Gabriel said promptly before passing out in Sam's arms.

The younger Winchester could feel a bitchface forming and he now had no one to direct it to. Just his luck. The angel comes back to the land of the living only to return to the land of the dead twenty minutes later. As he plopped in the front seat, not bothering to toss Gabriel into the back, he played with the soft, short hairs at the base of the angel's neck. He smiled to himself.

Well at least they weren't going to jail tonight.

**88888**

It took a week for Gabriel to show signs of life again. The Winchesters had kept it low key, driving many hours during the day and squatting in run down motels during the night. Nobody asked any questions as Sam hauled the angel around like a rag doll. It didn't seem to make any difference if Gabriel were a passed out drunk or if he were an actual body, the managers of the motel just passed a judging glance over the two of them and slid them the card key to the room. Sam was careful in dropping Gabriel on a bed as soon as they made it into a room. The angel in standby mode. Dean laughed when Sam called him that.

As Dean ordered take out, for what seemed like the fifth time in the row, Sam sighed and sat on the edge of the bed holding Gabriel's loose body. He stared down at the angel. It was great, really it was, that Gabriel was alive. Somewhere in the pit of Sam's stomach he had known... _God_ or whoever it was couldn't just leave the archangel with a death so unworthy of his actions. Sam's eyes focused when he heard a small groan come from somewhere in front of him. He smiled tightly when Gabriel began blinking wide, owlish eyes up at him. Within a second, recognition flashed before those golden orbs and Gabriel settled back into a pillow with a small huff. He eyed the younger Winchester with mild interest before dramatically grabbing his stomach.

"Ugh, I'm starving," he whined, attempting to align his middle finger and thumb. Clumsily he snapped the fingers and frowned when nothing happened. He tried again with the same disappointing results.

"Dean's getting take out now," Sam said quietly as Gabriel again attempted to snap his fingers. An irritated pout formed on the angel's lips.

"Bloody awesome," he sighed, resting a hand under his head as he leaned back on the bed, "I got nothing. Zip. And I thought after sleeping it off, I'd be fully charged again."

Sam blinked in confusion as Gabriel nonchalantly gazed at his nail beds.

"You're grounded," he stated, hinting it in the form of a question.

Gabriel turned his attention to the younger man, not quite glowering but looking none too pleased all the same.

"Seems that way, Kid," he said, groaning as he rolled over onto his stomach.

Sam tried not to stare at the obvious display of vulnerability. At least Gabriel was feeling comfortable enough around the Winchesters.

"Now I'm hungry, sexually frustrated and I think I need to use the bathroom. Oh how the mighty have fallen," the angel grumbled into a pillow, smacking at it relentlessly in a mini tantrum.

Sam tried not to laugh.

"Wait, you have to be kidding me. You're grounded AND you're acting human? This is a little above me, man."

Gabriel turned his scowl to Sam, debating on whether or not to toss his pillow in the younger man's face in a trivial display of his frustration.

"Feed me," he ordered. Then on a second thought, the angel rolled one more time so that he was on his back again, legs spread a little provocatively. He raised an eyebrow at Sam and smirked. "Or you could fuck me, I'd take that too."

Sam felt his cheeks heat up. He scoffed then stood, putting some distance between himself and the bed. Gabriel just watched him with a cat-like intensity, his smirk never leaving his face.

"Let's take care of one need at a time," Sam suggested, pointing towards the bathroom, "For example, go relieve yourself or whatever. You know how to use a bathroom right?"

Gabriel frowned and slowly rolled towards the edge of the bed, pushing himself up onto his feet. He wandered listlessly towards the bathroom, careful to throw Sam a mischievous grin over his shoulder.

"If I fall in, you'll rescue me, right Sasquatch?" he teased, slamming the bathroom door before Sam had the opportunity to reply.

Dean chose this moment to wander back into the room, smiling easily.

"Chinese will be here in 15 minutes," he stated, throwing himself onto the opposite bed and staring up strangely at his younger brother, "You alright? You got that... face."

Sam shrugged and uncomfortably crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Dean, we might have one more stomach to feed for a while," he said slowly, trying his best to look calm as his brother caught on and groaned obnoxiously.

Dean covered his face with his hands and silently muttered a string of 'nonononononono'.

"He's awake? Wait-the guy's just running on low, right? He'll be flying off in no time to go bother some other unfortunate dud, right Sam?" Dean shot him a look fit to kill, "_Right?"_

Sam shrugged his response.

"Oh SAMSAQUATCH. I believe I need assistance," Gabriel sing songed from the bathroom.

Both Dean and Sam looked towards the door. Slowly, Dean began to smirk while Sam huffed in irritation and forced himself to move closer.

"What did you do Gabriel?" he asked patiently, waiting to hear some atrocious noise just beyond the dividing layer of wood. It didn't come. Knowing he would probably regret it highly afterwards, Sam gripped the handle of the door and swung it open. Immediately he was stumbling backwards, falling painfully on his ass as a heavy weight pressed itself against his chest. Before he knew it, Gabriel had wound his arms around Sam's neck and was not so urgently grinding his hips against Sam's stomach where he straddled the taller man. Sam felt his face flush in surprise. Gabriel just bit his lower lip, humming in contentment as he rocked his lower body against the younger Winchester's solid frame. Sam gasped, in what he hoped was a manly way, and debated on pushing the angel out of his lap. Gabriel would have none of it. The angel leaned forward, mouth ghosting over the shell of Sam's ear.

"Fuck it must be annoying to be this horny all the time, eh Kiddo?" he breathed, tentatively nipping the skin of Sam's neck where it met his earlobe, "To want to get off every five minutes, how do you humans stand it?"

Sam sputtered and quickly shifted Gabriel in his lap, putting some distance between them. Not enough, it seemed, to alleviate the pressure Gabriel was pushing against him.

"Good lord, put a muzzle on your dog Sam!" Dean barked, covering his face with a rolled up newspaper article.

Gabriel just smirked and tossed Dean a look.

"You could join us if you wanted, the more the merrier," he said teasingly, breathing a soft moan as he gave a particularly rough thrust against Sam's body.

The younger Winchester couldn't deny that he felt the firm bulge between Gabriel's legs as the angel continued rutting against him. In what he hoped was disgust, he shoved Gabriel, with much difficulty, onto the floor beside him. It was then he realized, to his utter dismay, that he was breathing hard and a little more than flustered. He tried to cover it up with a dark scowl. The angel was glaring, equally as dark, from his spot on the floor.

"Gabriel, you'll have to take care of _that_ in a different way," the younger hunter huffed, steadily maintaining eye contact with the angel, "Dean and I aren't your _fuck_ toys."

Gabriel sighed and eyed Sam with a keen interest.

"You would deny me, an angel?" he began in a steady tone, propping himself up on one elbow to better look at the body before him.

Sam snorted at his attempt to look powerful, in control. Gabriel looked more like a petulant child to him. Sam leapt to his feet when there was a knock at their door.

"As you are now, Gabriel? Yeah, not really in the position to threaten. Sorry," he said, pulling the door open and graciously accepting a great big bag of food.

He closed the door and smiled when the angel cocked his head to one side and breathed deeply through his nose. He marveled at how quick those golden eyes went from lustful to hungry. Gabriel was on his feet and poking at the bag curiously before Sam could even set it down on the table. Sam couldn't help but chuckle as he lifted out his chicken lo mein and held it in front of Gabriel. The angel stared at it warily.

"What will you eat?" he questioned, not really hesitating in putting his fingers in the noodles and drag them up to his mouth.

Sam made a face. Disgusting. Of course angels wouldn't have table manners. He sighed and handed Gabriel a fork.

"I've gone longer days without food," he responded as Dean slurped noisily at his own noodles.

"If Sam's giving you his food, just accept it," the older Winchester noted, flopping down into a nearby chair and hoisting his feet up onto the table. He settled himself in a comfortable position before attacking his food again.

Gabriel gave one last thoughtful glance to Sam before taking the noodles to the floor with him as he sat down. He hungrily shoveled the greasy meal with his fingers into his mouth, smirking as he licked his bottom lip. Sam looked positively scandalized.

"Last time I _had_ to eat, I was a God and could do so however I wanted," he remarked, waving the noodles tauntingly in front of Sam's face, "Wanna share, Hot Stuff?"

Sam made a gagging noise before settling himself back against the headboard of the bed, smiling softly at the childish antics of both his brother and the juvenile angel. What on earth was he going to do now? He sent a silent prayer up to Castiel, hoping that the other angel would receive it in a timely manner. Surely their third musketeer would know what to do with his slightly less powerful but still completely bitchy brother. A few minutes and large handfuls of noodles later, Gabriel laid himself on the floor and groaned loudly.

"I just ate a child," he grumbled, holding his arms out to Sam, "C'mere and rub my belly."

San frowned playfully.

"Rub your own stomach," he retorted, chuckling quietly as Gabriel attempted to do just that but gave up after a couple tries with a whine.

"It's not the same!" he griped, sitting up suddenly and tilting his head in a bemused way, "You been calling my brothers behind my back, Sammy? I'm hurt. I thought what we had was special."

Sam was about to question Gabriel's words when a sudden spark in the air and a familiar flap of wings made itself known. Even Dean stopped chewing when Castiel presented himself, looking a little worn for wear. The angel's solemn gaze circled the room before falling on Gabriel, who sat cross legged in the middle of the floor. Completely covered in grease from his Chinese food. Gabriel just wiped the residue on his jeans before giving a small wave in Castiel's direction.

"Hey bro, how's it going?" he asked in his teasing voice.

One of Castiel's eyebrows rose but no further indication of surprise was given. Dean coughed, making himself known once more.

"Hey Cas, we kinda picked up a stray," he said, rising to his feet and setting a hand on the angel's shoulder.

Castiel nodded and gave Dean a tight smile.

"I came as soon as I heard your prayer," he said in his serious tone.

Sam fought back the urge to scowl. Of course Castiel came running the second Dean tossed up a prayer. He would need to have a talk about that later. In the meanwhile, Castiel had bent down and was studying Gabriel with a grim expression. Gabriel stared back defiantly, though his eyes flashed uneasily under the other angel's scrutiny. Castiel sighed and reached a hand out, aiming to lay it on the gaping hole in Gabriel's chest. The very hole that, despite careful doctoring and attention, did not seem to be healing or closing up in any way. Gabriel stopped him by grabbing his thin wrist and pushing it away.

"Leave it," he hissed, cautiously palming the wound to keep something between it and Castiel's determined hand.

Castiel glanced up at the Winchesters then. Dean frowned.

"What is it, Cas?" he asked.

Castiel sighed deeply.

"It would appear that Gabriel's grace is…. leaking, I believe you may call it," he announced, turning his attention back on his wounded brother,"What happened?"

Gabriel snorted and poked several time around the hole, seeming anxious.

"Just what everyone else knows. I stood up to Luci, which, by the way, went over about as well as a turd in a fishbowl. Then I died," Gabriel choked slightly on the words before pressing on, "Woke up curled against this giant ape (an indication towards Sam) so needless to say, I was a little jumbled up. Might have poured some of my grace out on the pavement."

Castiel frowned deeply, taking one of Gabriel's hands in his.

"You don't have enough to afford such wastes," he advised, gripping his brother's hand tightly, "Especially now."

Dean seemed to pick up on something implied that nobody but him could catch.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked cautiously, tossing his forgotten food on a nearby table.

Castiel gave Dean a long suffering look.

"Gabriel is alive now but gravely wounded. I'm assuming you have already had difficulty managing what little grace remains," he said, taking in Gabriel's suddenly sheepish expression.

"Yeah, it's unbelievable Castiel, humans have to go to the bathroom all the time. _And_ they're all sexually constipated," the archangel moaned, casting a peeved look in Sam's direction, "And apparently they don't take to well to being propositioned."

At this, Castiel smiled lightly.

"Perhaps you are going about it the wrong way, Gabriel," he chided softly, dropping his brother's hands to again reach out and attempt to touch the hole in his chest, "I can try to stop the leak. It will be painful, I will have to lace some of my grace with yours..."

Dean frowned and grabbed Castiel by the shoulder, whirling him around.

"I don't think so, Cas. Take a look at what this could do to you," he warned, his voice clearly shrouded in worry, "You're barely angel yourself."

He didn't mean for it to come out as harshly as it had but Castiel flinched nevertheless. His eyes darkened as he pushed gently away from Dean.

"And Gabriel needs my assistance. Otherwise he will be, as you so fondly call it, a "sitting duck"," Castiel snapped.

Dean blinked stupidly down at him.

"What?"

Gabriel sighed obnoxiously.

"I'm basically a vesseled archangel with no powers. Try telling me some demons wouldn't find that just the perfect present for Daddy," he muttered angrily, arranging Castiel's hand over his chest, "At least sigil me, Cas. We'll keep some of the monsters at bay until I get pumped full of my vitamins."

Sam, who had stood in quiet contemplation of the situation, gasped when Castiel pushed his hand flat against Gabriel's chest and began emitting a soft blue light. Gentle power thrummed around the space of the room, electrifying but dimmed, probably to keep their activities a secret from whoever could be watching. Gabriel winced but held steady through the process, sighing when Castiel pulled his hand away.

"Thanks," he murmured, snapping his fingers lazily to see if it did anything.

He was pleasantly surprised to find a jolly rancher in his palm. The angel grinned.

"Oh sweet merciful gods, candy," he crowed, unwrapping the candy and popping it into his mouth with a noise closely resembling an orgasmic moan.

Castiel shifted away from him uncomfortably.

"You have the sigils branded on your ribs," he said, slowly rising to his feet, "I transferred a small dose of my grace into yours. Use it wisely, not just for sweet confections."

"Roger, captain," Gabriel saluted, "Peace out, bro."

Dean's frown deepened.

"You're leaving us," he said in a blatantly accusatory tone, standing himself tall in front of the other angel, "You're leaving us with a broken angel."

"Gabriel is capable," Castiel noted, though hesitantly, "I have faith that with the remedy of his chest, this problem will become little more than a slight burden. I will search for a way to seal the hole Lucifer created. Until then..."

He glanced wistfully at Gabriel who just smirked back.

"I would advise that you behave yourself, Gabriel. The Winchesters have very little tolerance for those with... your personality type."

Gabriel laughed outright.

"Leave it to Castiel, the bluntest angel in the Host, to lecture little 'ol me. Yes _mom_, I'll be on my best behavior," he chuckled, waggling his eyebrows at Sam, "Can't guarantee I will keep my hands to myself though."

Sam snorted but ignored the comment in favor of voicing a few questions.

"So we just keep moving him?"

Castiel nodded briefly.

"That would be best."

He glanced down at Gabriel with something akin to fondness.

"Keep him safe."

With that, Castiel departed in a flutter of wings. Gabriel grinned cheekily at Dean's obviously upset attitude before settling himself next to Sam, the younger Winchester claiming a spot on the edge of the bed. He reached a hand out and let it fall comfortably against Sam's cheek. The angel's thumb gently traced a small pattern on the skin beneath it, pausing just above Sam's upper lip. Sam took the opportunity to gaze warily down at Gabriel, whose eyes danced mischievously in the dim light of the hotel room. He didn't pull away as Gabriel leaned forward towards him. He just sighed weakly when he felt Gabriel's soft mouth meet his, not urgent or burning. Just curious. The angel pressed barely there kisses to Sam's lips, breathing in the same breath as the younger hunter. He hummed quietly, wetting his lips with a small pink tongue before Sam felt himself drawn back in. He kissed the angel a little more soundly, trying to figure out if he liked the added pressure or if he was so accustomed to kissing that deepening the kiss only seemed natural. Their lips met time and again, firm and unyielding as they moved against each other in a warm slide. Gabriel's forgotten hand slowly trailed up the side of Sam's face to wrap loosely in the hair on the side of his head. He gently tugged, causing Sam to gasp against the angel's lips. Gabriel smirked then carefully slipped his tongue in Sam's startled mouth, interested and exploring. Sam pushed his own tongue against the invasion, only shocking himself further when he felt sparks of warm pleasure surge through him. Gabriel, skilled kisser extraordinaire, was careful to switch between soft gentle kisses sucking on Sam's bottom lip to sliding his tongue against Sam's and claiming his mouth. Sam was completely unaware that they had been kissing for more than a couple minutes when Dean cleared his throat, clearly angered at being forgotten all together. Sam pulled away from Gabriel's mouth with a notable smack, flushing a bright red.

"Uh he..." Sam groaned and shot Gabriel a disapproving glare, "You just made me compliant with Castiel's grace!"

Gabriel just licked his lips, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"I did no such thing, I'm sure it was just my charming good looks and wit that left you absolutely stunned," he replied with a laugh, rolling away from Sam as the younger Winchester wildly swung a fist in his direction.

Dean just rolled his eyes.

"Don't make me separate you two," he groaned, crossing his arms over his chest and making a face that damn near rivaled a pout, "And stop wasting Cas' grace, you dumbass."

Gabriel held up his hands in mock surrender, laughing as he stared unabashedly at Sam.

"You'll be in my pants by week's end," he challenged, leaning back on his elbows to give Sam full view of his body.

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes and stood to join his brother at the table. They had research to do, surely someone knew somewhere of a holy grace plug. The sooner they got Gabriel up and running full strength, the better. Sam could feel Gabriel's heated stare on the back of his head. It unnerved him. He picked up his cellphone and made a few calls.

He _would _make it past week's end. _Without_ touching the angel once.

**88888**

Gabriel proved to be a stubborn, whiney bitch. They were on their fifth day of driving, somewhere near the Carolinas, when Dean finally lost his shit and pulled off to the side of the road. He yanked Gabriel out of the car by the front of his shirt and tossed him like a sack of potatoes on the ground. Sam had to leap out of the car and put himself in front of the angel, who of course was pouting and whining about being bullied while he was a harmless little creature. That seemed to fuel Dean's rage all the more; Sam, naturally, ended up in a fist fight with his brother on the side of a slightly busy highway. By the time things had settled down, Dean had a black eye and Sam's lip was split right open. Gabriel was a smug, self-concerned bastard in the back seat, kicking Dean's seat and pulling Sam's pigtails until they were both driven to some sort ofmadness.

Sam eventually broke down and bought Gabriel an mp3 player in the next little town they pulled up to. It even came with thick, over the ears headphones. They could easily drown out external noises and keep Gabriel locked in his own magical world for a little while. Sam downloaded song after song of every genre to entertain the angel. Soon, it became apparent that the angel was drawn towards the unnatural, heavy beats of dubstep. Sam scowled darkly and cursed the artist named Skrillex for the hundredth time in their long journey to nowhere. Gabriel's music was turned up high so often that Sam dreamed in dubstep. And frequently accompanying those dreams of surreal, not-quite-music music was the image of a small, compact body, wriggling and dancing to the shrill sounds bouncing off his noggin. Awake or asleep, Gabriel haunted the younger hunter. Even when he was being quiet in the backseat, slouched into himself, bobbing his head to his music.

"Can you turn that down," Sam muttered, feeling his patience begin to fray as the end of the day drew near.

Gabriel grunted as he shifted his position to hover over the side of the front seat, getting very close to Sam's cheek. Sam could feel his irritation build as the shrieking noises of dubstep poured into his left ear.

"You say something, Sam?" the angel questioned loudly, smirking when Sam turned and gave him the biggest bitchface to date.

"Can you turn that down?!" he rose his voice, already loathing Dean who was singing off-key to the radio. It was reasonable to ask for a little silence. Right?

Gabriel just chuckled darkly and changed artists on his mp3 player instead of complying with the younger man's request. Sam groaned when he recognized who the singer was. Gabriel flopped back into his seat, opened his mouth and belted out at the top of his lungs:

"WEEE ARE NEVER EVER EVER, GETTING BACK TOGETHER. WEEE ARE NEVER EVER EVER, GETTING BACK TOGETHER. You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to meeee but weeeee are never ever ever everrrr, getting back together…..."

It seemed that apart from dubstep, the angel had a taste for Taylor Swift. Sam groaned miserably as the car swerved and Dean cursed overtop the deep voice of Gabriel singing. He walked away from that one with a badly bruised ribcage and a limp. Dean was obviously holding onto some pent up anger.

That week they settled in a nice motel room for once, one that didn't accept pay by the hour and that had fully functioning bathrooms. It was sweet relief. Sam climbed slowly out of the Impala and stretched his long legs. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, casting a soft glow on the trees and across the sky. Sam stared for a moment, allowing the peace to settle deep in his bones. That is, until the car door slammed shut and Gabriel came up beside him, pausing his mp3 player.

"Well you sure are sentimental, Sasquatch, I'll give you that," he said teasingly, turning to smirk up at the Winchester, "Staring off at the sunset, next I'll be waiting for you to get down on one knee and propose to me."

Sam snorted lightly and pointedly ignored the angel as he turned on his heel and sought his dufflebag in the backseat of the car. He froze when he felt a hand creep down the length of his body and rest at the small of his back.

"Gabriel," he growled, warning tone evident in the name.

The angel popped into his line of vision, smiling wickedly.

"Sam," he greeted, slowly rubbing his hand in a circle along the hunter's back, "You're so tense all the time, Kiddo. Don't you ever relax?"

Sam fought the urge to laugh as he reeled around to face Gabriel. The angel's expression held genuine curiosity, mingled with the ever present mirth and unspoken taunts.

"I _can't_ relax, Gabriel. Not while I'm babysitting you," he said in a clipped tone, wanting nothing more than to sink himself into warm sheets and forget about today, everyday that has been plaguing him relentlessly.

Gabriel scoffed.

"_Babysitting_ me? Babysitting?" Gabriel rolled the word over on his tongue in disgust, making a face that clear reflected it, "Let me make myself clear, _Sam_. I hang around with you chuckleheads because I want to."

Sam couldn't help but laugh. It shook his whole body, made him clutch desperately at his sides. Maybe he was being melodramatic but honestly.

"Gabriel, you're 'hanging around' with us because you _have_ to," he stated through gasps of air, smiling bitterly down at the angel, "Otherwise Lucifer will use you as his puppet."

Gabriel's eyes went from a brilliant, easy going shade of brown to fiercely golden in the span of a few seconds. It was clear from his sudden change in demeanor that he did not take too kindly to being called powerless. He shoved Sam into the Impala with a certain strength the hunter thought he no longer possessed. His mouth was turned downward in a scowl while his eyebrows furrowed just above his piercing, spiteful eyes.

"I am _no one's _puppet," he hissed in a dangerous voice, pressing Sam hard against the unforgiving metal of the car. Surely it would leave bruises. "I may be diminished but I am still an angel, Sam. I am so great your pathetic human brain would liquefy before it even managed to grasp any of my finer aspects."

Sam frowned but held his ground, pushing roughly against the arm holding him in place. Gabriel stumbled a bit, shocked by the force used against him.

"You give yourself a lot of credit," Sam snapped, feeling remotely confident next to the near-human angel, "You're really not an enigma, Gabriel. Slap some porn and a few candy bars in front of you and I'm sure you'll be content for ages."

The second the words flew from his lips, Sam wished he could swallow them back up and keep them locked away for all of eternity. Gabriel was still pissed, to be sure, but the second those words pierced through his self-built armor, the angel managed to look sad. Deeply sad. And a bit lonely. As if he were so misinterpreted that he felt only he himself knew himself. Sam sighed and ran his hand through his slightly mussed hair.

"Gabriel, look I-"

"Stow it," the angel spat, recovering quick enough to mask any emotion that might have accidently slipped.

He slid the headphones off his neck and casually tossed them and his mp3 player to the ground beside him. Sam couldn't help but feel a little grateful that Gabriel didn't just stomp the pieces into the ground to be malicious. The hunter made a pained face when he saw light begin to glimmer just beyond the irises of Gabriel's eyes.

"Don't-"

Too late. Gabriel quickly raised a hand and snapped two fingers together, disappearing into thin air. Sam gasped and lunged forward, glancing all around in desperation. Nothing but the empty hotel parking lot and the Impala, safely parked between the white lines. Sam fought back the panic that sharply rose within him. He tried to get his head on straight as he marched into the hotel lobby, looking for any signs of his brother. It looked like they would not be getting any shut eye after all.

**88888**


	2. The Chase

**A/N: I am very pleased people are reading my story! I hope to make the plot more clear with the next chapter but it really depends on Gabriel, he's the muse whispering in my ear forcing me to write this. He's also expected to be more of a BAMF in the following chapter. Anyways, enjoy and do tell me if there's anything you'd like to see happen. I love feedback.**

**88888**

It had been six hours. Maybe seven. Sam lost track after the first two. He had briefly informed Dean of the situation, careful to avoid the obvious questions of 'How?' and 'Why?'. They had been looking for the rouge angel ever since. Sam leaned his forehead against the cool window of the Impala, listlessly gazing out at their surroundings. They had driven around this part of the small town _twice_ and there were no signs of Gabriel. Sam swallowed his dread. The angel couldn't have gotten very far, what with his grace being zapped. Either he had fled into the dense woods surrounding the town, which he highly doubted given Gabriel's preference for comfort and accessibility to people, or something else had found him before the Winchesters. Sam tried not to think the latter.

"We should drive by the candy store again," he murmured under his breath as Dean gave him a thoughtful hum.

"We've driven past that store five times, dude. He's not there. Besides, it's not like he has money to buy anything," his brother noted, turning for the second time down a small local street.

Sam frowned.

Gabriel didn't have money. Or the proper jacket for this weather. He didn't, as far as Sam was aware, have a cell phone. What would happen if the angel got hungry? How would he be able to call for help if something were to happen? Sam scowled and pushed the questions away.

"Let's check out the hospital again," he said, ignoring Dean's groan of protest.

"Really? It smelled like death in there, Sammy," he whined, "Besides, why do you have to jump to the conclusion that he's going to inevitably get hurt? He's an _angel, _Sam. Dude knows how to take care of himself."

Sam's lips were a thin line across his face as he furrowed his brow and quelled his irritation.

"Just go, Dean," he ordered lightly, eyes locking with determination on Dean's as the older of the two risked a glance over to his brother.

Dean sighed obnoxiously but turned the car around, heading towards the small hospital in the center town. They rode in silence. After a while, Sam began to wonder vaguely what was going through his brother's head. Dean maintained a thoughtful expression but didn't look angry or upset. Sam half expected him to fly into a blind rage when he told him Gabriel had took off.

"We'll find him," Dean said in a reassuring voice, "No use getting upset over something that's already said and done."

Sam just nodded mutely. His brother knew him too well to bother hiding his concern. Dean would see through any façade he managed to create anyways. Reaching for the door handle, Sam pulled himself out of the car and stared at the white brick building in front of them. They came here earlier, asking if anyone had spotted a man with dirty blonde hair that stood about 5'7''. A man with a smart mouth, flirtatious tendencies and a craving for sweets. Not one of the nurses recognized the description. Sam could only hope, as they made their way into the building and up to the front desk, that Gabriel wouldn't end up here. The bubbly, curly haired blonde who had helped them earlier was still sitting in front of the computer screen, typing a mile a minute. She smiled warmly when she saw the two approach her desk.

"You're back," she commented quietly as Sam gave her a small wave and a half smile.

"We are. I was just wondering if anyone came in since we last looked... anyone that fit the descript-" Sam paused when the blonde pointed down a hallway.

"A man just came in about a half hour ago. He didn't give a name but he matched most of your description," she said, expression going a little soft as she spoke.

Sam hesitated, mouth trying to form words as it opened and closed.

"Is he.. uh, is he… ok?" he managed to ask, stomach plummeting to the bottom of his body as the nurse pursed her lips and gave a small shrug.

"He came in riddled with bullet holes."

Sam felt like his legs were kicked out from under him as his knees buckled. Thankfully, Dean reached out and steadied him or else he would have gone collapsing to the ground. The elder Winchester gave the nurse a tight smile and a murmured 'thanks' before steering Sam down the hallway the woman pointed towards. Every step Sam took felt heavier than a bag of bricks. A frigid numbness began settle in his body, blocking out all other sensations, even the firm hand on his forearm, guiding him past many doors. The many doors that separated the sick and the dying from the warm and the living. Sam blinked slowly, trying to rid himself of the image of Gabriel, shot and bleeding profusely on the ground. Even when he shook his head, the image did not clear. It pegged itself in the back of Sam's mind, reminding him that it was his fault if Gabriel was the poor soul pumped full of bullets. His spiral into desperation only came to a screeching halt when he heard a voice bellowing from a room three doors down.

"YOU CAN TAKE YOUR NEEDLES AND CRAM THEM UP YOUR ASS. NO, STOP TRYING TO TOUCH ME YOU DISGUSTING MUD MONKEY OR I SWEAR TO—WHAT ON DAD'S GREEN EARTH IS THAT THING? OHH NO. NO, NO, NO."

Sam felt his heart thump rapidly in his chest as he darted forward, sliding to a stop in front of the room. There, connected to a bunch of beeping machines with wires in every which direction, looking about as pissed off as Sam has ever seen him, lay Gabriel. The angel was thrashing around wildly, tangling himself up in cords and bed sheets as a nurse with a rather large looking needle attempted to jab him. Sam let a choked noise slip out of his mouth as he felt the muscles in his face begin to relax. He even risked a small smile. That is, until Gabriel pulled back and let a fist go flying. It connected with the side of the nurse's jaw, sending her flailing to the ground. Sam's whole face fell with her.

"Jesus Christ, Gabriel! You just knocked her out!" he exclaimed, flying over to the fallen woman and gingerly lifting her head off the floor.

She had a large imprint of a fist on her face but otherwise looked fine. Peaceful even in her unconscious state of being. Sam carefully pried the needle out of her hand and set it on a rolling table. It was then he registered that Dean was cracking up in the doorway, trying with all his might to pull it together and shut the door. Gabriel sat back with his arms folded defiantly across his chest. He, of course, was scowling darkly.

"She had it coming," he hissed as Sam hauled up her limp body and delicately arranged on the small couch at one end of the room.

Sam scowled right back as he turned and walked closer to the bed.

"No one deserves to be clobber in the face by an archangel," he scolded.

Gabriel just shrugged, clearly miffed.

"She'll live," he responded, ripping the wires off his chest in an irritated fashion.

It was then Sam could see clearly where Gabriel had, in fact, been shot. Several times by the looks of it. There was a small hole puncturing his left shoulder, bleeding incessantly. Another one seemingly in the middle of Gabriel's chest, messily covered with gauze. That didn't stop the trickling of blood that ran down the middle of the angel's navel and into the sheets. A third one was lodged in Gabriel's arm, which he was slowly moving to rid himself of all medical equipment.

"Gabriel..." Sam started, words getting lodged in his throat.

The angel paused and eyed the man in front of him. He no longer looked like a wild animal on the verge of a killing spree but rather maintained a steady, irritated expression.

"You can judge me with your doe eyes later, Kid. For now, we got to get out of here," he said, wincing as he tried sitting up.

Sam came to his side as Dean glanced shiftily at the door.

"Gabriel, why _exactly_ do we need to get out of here?" he ventured cautiously as three nurses outside in the hallway paused and glanced their way.

"Demons," the angel ground out precisely when the eyes of the nurses shifted from normal to midnight black. Dean groaned and quickly jammed a chair against the door, patting the side of his jacket where he frequently held his gun.

"Of course," he grumbled, walking briskly to the other side of the room to a table that held a variety of medical equipment. He left his gun in the car. Typical.

Sam grabbed Gabriel's arm and was gently trying to help him out of the bed as Dean picked up several scalpels, testing their sharpness against his thumb. They cut clean through. He smiled grimly as he pushed one carefully into Sam's free hand.

"Here, we'll at least be able to fend them off," he said in a gruff voice as the demons began shoving violently against the door to get in. It groaned and shook under their weight.

Sam glanced around frantically as Gabriel shifted his weight against him, wrapping an arm around the younger Winchester's waist to support himself.

"Don't get any funny ideas," the angel said shortly, snatching the scalpel out of Sam's hand and twirling it dangerously between his fingers.

Sam snorted.

"I could say the same to you," he snapped lightly, wrapping his arm carefully around Gabriel's shoulders.

"Alright, I'm letting them in on the count of three," Dean started, reaching for the door handle, "One..."

"Three," Gabriel grumbled, holding out a hand then giving a tug on what seemed like an imaginary string. The door flew open and the three demons scrambled in, howling in delight.

Dean cursed then lunged forward, jamming one of his scalpels into a sharp looking redhead's face. She screamed in pain, doubling over as she clawed at the medical instrument protruding out of her cheek. The other demons seemed to be temporarily stunned by the action, giving the Winchesters a chance to shove past them and go careening out into the hallway. Only then did the demons snap out of their daze and turn, running hard to catch up. The Winchesters skid across the floor, turning sharply down another hallway, desperate to find the exit.

"Which way did we come in?" Sam gasped, grip tight on the angel's shoulder.

Gabriel moaned quietly against the pressure, snapping his head up as another demon came to a running halt in front of the three. The angel picked up his hand and flicked his wrist, sending a scalpel flying into the demon's eye. The man shrieked and angrily stumbled forward, trying to grab Dean by the front of his jacket. The elder Winchester sank his final scalpel into the demon's neck, effectively causing it to gush blood, warm and red, onto the floor. The demon crumpled slightly, giving the three the opportunity to take in their surroundings and find the door leading out to the parking lot. Dean pointed.

"Over there," he ordered, sprinting alongside Sam towards the exit.

Naturally, an additional set of demons came running through another door, putting themselves between the trio and the only escape route.

"God dammit," Dean seethed, glancing around for some sort of weapon.

Gabriel wriggled his nose at the words.

"No need to get blasphemous, you muttonhead," he chided, shakily reaching a hand forward again.

Sam caught it, stopping the angel from releasing any more of his grace. He frowned down at the small body in his arms, expression unwavering as Gabriel snapped his head up and glowered at him.

"You wanna die?" the angel barked, trying to pull his hand free from Sam's grasp.

"I don't want you to die," the hunter responded, grabbing Gabriel and giving him a quick tug to avoid the lunging attack of a blonde haired demon.

"I won't _die_, I'm an angel!"

"An angel that can apparently _bleed out._"

Dean landed a well aimed right hook square against the blonde's face. She went sailing to the ground, hissing. The elder Winchester grabbed Sam by the back of his jacket and gave him a rough shove towards the exit.

"You two can have your little pissing match later, we need to get the hell out of here," he roared, quickly dodging the attack of the second demon, a middle aged looking man with silver hair peeking through the brown.

Sam locked his jaw and nodded, running as fast as he could towards the door while supporting Gabriel. Dean was close behind him, knocking over plants in the hallway to trip up the demons as they gave chase.

"Sam!"

Sam turned his head and barely had time to reach out and grab what Dean had tossed to him. He quickly examined what he held in his fingers. Car keys.

"Get him in the car, I'll slow these bastards down!"

Sam almost stopped dead in his tracks. Thankfully, Gabriel gave his waist a quick tug so that they were moving again, out of the doors and towards the parking lot.

"Dean-"

"Shut up, Sam. I can handle a few demons," the older Winchester said harshly.

Dean stopped running at the door, slamming it shut and throwing all his body weight against it. The demons slammed back against the glass with force, nearly knocking the hunter over in the process. Dean held firm, digging his feet into the pavement and pushing with all his strength. Sam desperately wanted to go back and help. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to turn around, to go to his brother and rip him away from the door so they could fight the demons together.

Sam looked down at Gabriel. The angel was staring expectantly up at him, eyes passive, revealing nothing. They were about ten feet away from the car; all they had to do was jump in and drive. Sam sighed and moved forward, unlocking the passenger door and nearly throwing Gabriel into the seat. He darted to the other side and let himself in, plunging the keys into the ignition and firing up the car. He threw it into reverse, frowning when he saw two more demons making their way towards them. He kept going, plowing them into the ground with the back of the car. If these two got out of the building, where was Dean? He tried glancing back at the front door of the hospital but it was too far away to see clearly.

"Sam," Gabriel said, voice even, urgent.

Sam felt his jaw twitch. He was grinding his teeth too hard. He shifted the car into drive and lurched out of the parking lot into the street. He found himself pushing down hard on the gas and the car flew down the road, easily putting distance between it and the hospital.

Leaving Dean behind.

**88888**

The drive was silent as the two made their way back to the motel. Sam had tried calling Dean on his cell phone multiple times yet each one rolling over to voicemail. He kept his eyes steady on the road, trying to keep his mind as blank as possible. He wouldn't think of Dean, alone, fighting a hoard of demons. With no weapon. Sam groaned quietly and his hand twitched on the shift. He could easily turn the car around. He nearly pulled back in surprise when he felt a smaller, warm hand rest on top his own. Gabriel had been quiet the whole time, yes, but his golden eyes had been trained on the side of Sam's head since the second they bailed out of the parking lot. Sam didn't have the nerve to feel uncomfortable.

"What happened to you?" he asked, trying to distract himself.

Gabriel snorted lightly, removing his hand from Sam's to gently touch his shoulder. Sam was almost fearful to note that it was still trickling a steady stream of blood down the angel's chest. He couldn't tell if the bullet lodged in his breastbone was causing any problems. Gabriel was careful to arrange his body in a way that would not reveal the wounds.

"I think I popped into the middle of the town," he said, taking his eyes off of Sam momentarily to stare forward at the road, "Some guy cornered me about five minutes later, waving a gun in my face. He wanted money or something."

Sam laughed a little bitterly.

"Of course that would happen," he muttered, glancing briefly at the angel, "What did you do?"

Gabriel smirked a little.

"I threatened him. He didn't like that so he shot me. Three times, can you believe it? That hairless ape," the angel pursed his lips thoughtfully, "Ever see Iron Man?"

Sam frowned at the question.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked, risking another glance at Gabriel before training his eyes on the road.

"A lot actually, as I find myself in the same position as Tony Stark. Remember that big explosion that sent pieces of metal into his chest and almost killed him? But that crazy foreign genius guy hooked him up to a car battery to keep the pieces from lodging into his heart?"

Sam blinked.

"Don't tell me, you're..."

Gabriel nodded grimly.

"The bullets in my shoulder and in my arm are just a pain in the ass. But that third one? I'm using my grace, like the car battery, to keep it from hitting any major organs. Normally I would be thrilled about being compared to Iron Man. Not so much right now," he sighed, hand covering some soft spot on his chest.

Sam shook his head slowly.

"We got to get it out of you. Is it still active?"

Gabriel sighed again.

"Let's pretend this is the Matrix..."

"Gabriel, stop using movie references and get to the point."

Gabriel grumbled.

"You're no fun. Alright, let's just say that I stopped using my grace; the bullet would just keep going on its intended path. It'd probably go through my body, through this seat and out the back window," he said in frustration, "It's just... suspended."

Sam felt his foot push a little harder on the gas at that. Soon, they were in front of the motel. Sam put the car in park then got out to help Gabriel out of the car. The angel swung the door open, nearly into Sam's face.

"I got this, Champ," he said, heaving himself out of the car with some difficulty, "I'm tired of this whole, I'm-so-weak-I-need-my-human bullshit."

Sam let it slide, thinking of a way they were going to get Gabriel past the front desk. The angel was bleeding rather profusely, his entire shirt was damp and red with blood. Surely someone would say something.

"Just stand behind me," Sam advised as they walked through the sliding doors.

Gabriel rolled his shoulders in a shrug.

"You got it, Big Boy," he replied, ducking into the giant's shadow.

The two snuck past reception with general ease; Sam just smiled grimly and waved to the two women at the front and pushed Gabriel along until they were in the hallway. There they relaxed a bit, walking towards the room Dean had rented out earlier. Sam fiddled around with the car keys, silently thanking Dean for putting the room key on the chain.

"You're going to have to take your shirt off so I can look at it," he said once they were inside with the door shut and locked behind them.

Gabriel gave a slight nod and attempted to lift the hem of his shirt up. He groaned slightly as the shirt clung to his body. He couldn't seem to lift his one arm that high anyways. Sam wondered quietly if the bullet had gone all the way through or if he was going to have to extract that one as well.

"C'mere," he gestured with his hands, holding them out towards the angel.

Gabriel stared at him warily. After a moment he sighed and bowed his head, lifting his arms up as high as they could go. Sam walked forward and grabbed the bottom of the shirt, trying not to scrunch his nose up in disgust as it pulled away from Gabriel's body in a slick slide. He tugged it gently over the blonde's head, careful to pull it off his arms so that he didn't touch the wounds so much. Gabriel sighed appreciatively as he tugged himself free of the shirt. Sam held it for a moment then threw it onto his dufflebag, eyeing Gabriel up and down briefly. His smaller body was coated in a layer of blood, particularly below the planes of his chest and over his soft stomach. The wound just below his breastbone was bleeding the most. Sam gave a long sigh before gesturing to the bed.

"Go lay down on your back," he ordered lightly, going over to his dufflebag and shuffling through it for a bit.

There. He pulled out a small medical kit, complete with surgical sutures, thread and a needle. He had a small pair of pliers somewhere... He turned around briefly to see Gabriel slowly lower himself on a bed, hanging his legs over the edge and spreading himself as wide as he could.

"This good, Dr. Winchester?" he said with a hint of amusement, resting his head against the soft cushion beneath him.

Sam nodded and rose to his feet, carrying the small amount of supplies in his hand. He stared down at the angel hesitantly. Gabriel stared back, surprisingly solemn for once in his life.

"Sam, you can't hurt me," he said slowly, as if reassuring was not his strong point.

Sam swallowed and nodded again, trying to situate himself over the angel.

"You can sit on me, if you want," Gabriel offered in a slightly suggestive voice, wiggling his eyebrows.

The younger man snorted, glad that the angel at least had enough energy to joke. He sat on the other side of the bed, hovering over Gabriel's body. He pulled out the pliers and leaned forward.

"I'm going to get that one out of your chest," he murmured.

Sam paused above the wound, took a breath, and then plunged the pliers through the blood and into Gabriel's body. The angel wriggled a bit uncomfortably at the sensation but said nothing as Sam pressed deeper in, searching.

"You're almost touching it," Gabriel said in a shaky voice, "I can feel it. It's not deep."

Sam nodded briefly, letting out a relieved sigh when he heard and felt the pliers clink against something metallic. He fished around in the hole, trying to ignore the blood that was gushing out, until the pliers snapped around the bullet. Slowly, carefully he began easing the pliers out. He didn't want to slip and have the bullet go careening back into Gabriel's chest. He could feel it almost pulsing with energy. Gabriel really was warding it off with his grace. Finally, Sam pulled the bullet free and held it up to show the angel. Gabriel let loose a loud sigh and the bullet went flying from the pliers and ricocheted off the mirror on the other side of the room, landing with a dull thud against the window. Thankfully it did not erupt into glass shards like the mirror did. Sam glanced down at Gabriel. The angel smiled sheepishly back up at him.

"It was taking a lot of energy out of me," he said, resting his hand on Sam's thigh, "If you don't mind..." He indicated towards his shoulder.

Sam nodded and got to work extracting the other two bullets. They also were not lodged deep. When the Winchester was done, he quickly stripped himself of his overshirt and patted the blood off the wounds, applying pressure to make them stop bleeding. Gabriel gave a small laugh.

"If I wasn't bleeding to death, this situation would be very sexual."

Sam just stared at him for a moment before removing his shirt and threading the needle.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, refusing to meet Gabriel's eye.

The angel lay very quietly for the moment, probably absorbing the words. Sam finally looked at him when he felt the angel's hand grasp his thigh more firmly. He looked a little frustrated, a little determined as well. But mostly uncomfortable.

"You weren't the one who took off, Kiddo," he started, hesitantly playing with his words, "I made a mistake... and now I'm paying for it."

The angel sighed and managed to look more uncomfortable as he squirmed under the touch of the needle.

"I need you saps right now," he muttered so quietly that Sam had to strain to hear it.

Sam pulled a stitch tight and tied it, nicking it off with his teeth. He glanced around at his handiwork, satisfied that the wounds were no longer bleeding as much. He pulled Gabriel up so that he was sitting hunched over.

"C'mon," he said quietly, trying to tug Gabriel towards the bathroom, "We already ruined the covers but we can at least get you cleaned up."

The angel climbed to his feet, tripping slightly as he went. He steadied himself by holding onto Sam's side.

"So that's what it feels like when you lose too much blood," he said dizzily, "It sucks."

Sam laughed a little, helping to walk Gabriel towards the shower.

"Welcome to the world of hunters," he smiled, tinkering with the hot and cold knobs until it was a good temperature.

He stood and awkwardly glanced at the angel. Gabriel was hovering by the doorway, leaning against the frame. He looked so tired and uncertain that Sam sighed deeply and extended his hand.

"Come on, I'll help you," he offered.

Gabriel didn't hesitate this time, leaning forward and grabbing onto Sam's hand tightly. Sam tried to be as clinical as possible, resting his other hand on Gabriel's waist and gently pushing down the jeans that hung loosely on the angel's waist. They caught on his knees and Gabriel tried in vain to wiggle out of them. Sam watched on humorously.

"Grab my shoulders," he ordered, "Then you'll be able to step out of them."

Gabriel did just that, grumbling as he clutched and dug into Sam's back with his blunt nails. The Winchester pushed the pants down the rest of the way, trying to ignore the fact that he was literally face to crotch with Gabriel standing in front of him. Sam sighed and pushed himself to finish, despite feeling flustered. He grabbed Gabriel's briefs, a ridiculous orange hue, and quickly shucked them down and off. Sam felt his face heat up as he tried to look anywhere but at Gabriel's dick. He was eternally grateful that Gabriel didn't pipe in with crude comments or come-ons as he held firmly onto the angel's waist. It was such a bizarre situation he found himself in, touching flesh that felt smooth and human under his fingers when the being within was anything but.

"I hate to interrupt that train of thought you got going there, Sam, but aren't showers supposed to be a little more... wet?" Gabriel's voice broke the silence.

Sam felt his cheeks flare as he nodded and helped the angel into the shower. His shirt got wet as he reached for a rag and started wiping the blood off Gabriel's shoulder and down his chest. He worked quickly and silently, not noticing Gabriel's hawk-like gaze. The angel had his head tilted slightly, analyzing the Winchester, as he moved against the strokes on his body. Sam knew he was blushing as Gabriel began showing signs of arousal.

"Gabriel..." he coughed to cover up the crack in his voice.

The angel just chuckled, but not unkindly.

"Sorry, it can't be helped. My body is more sensitive in my current state and what can I say? I find you... interesting, attractive even," he said, a hint of amusement but then something serious in his tone.

Sam head shot up to look at Gabriel.

"Why?" he questioned somberly.

The angel stared back, eyes flashing with confusion, as if Sam has said something so unexpectedly human that he didn't know how to answer.

"Because," he began matter-o-factly, "You have such a bright soul."

Sam was about to question him some more when Gabriel took a small step forward and slipped, body coming crashing down in the tub as his legs swept out from underneath him. Sam was barely aware of Gabriel's scrambling hands clutching the front of his shirt until he too was hunched over, half in the tub being sprayed in the back by water. His face was uncomfortably nestled against Gabriel's chest, unfortunately right next to his nipple so when he huffed a 'what the hell?!' his mouth almost covered it completely. Gabriel groaned and loosened his hold around the Winchester's neck, allowing Sam to pull up but not away. Despite looking pained, the angel smiled crookedly and vainly tried tucking a few strands of Sam's hair behind his ear.

"You look like a wet dog," he joked, laughing quietly as Sam's hair began to mat and stick to the sides of his head.

Sam swallowed drily. Gabriel's eyes were shining, full of laughter but there was also something else hidden there beneath the layers. Something closely resembling affection. Sam didn't know why this angel had it out for him in particular; he couldn't believe Gabriel's words about his soul being 'bright'. Not after the life he's lead. For some reason though, he kept finding himself stomaching the blonde's bullshit and all the while, he felt the startling need to be close to him, to defend him.

_Like an annoying brother_, he thought.

However he was sure he wouldn't kiss his brother on the mouth while he was naked getting sprayed in the side of the face with water. He found himself doing this with Gabriel though. The angel had gently tugged him closer until their lips met.

_Dean's still out there._

Gabriel moaned softly and parted his lips as Sam's tongue roved past them, impatiently pushing at Gabriel's tongue until they met and brushed together slowly. Sam couldn't help but enjoy the rush it gave him to dominate the angel's mouth. He tangled his tongue with Gabriel's briefly before plunging in further, tasting sweetness on the roof of his mouth and along his teeth.

_I shouldn't... not now. Not—_

Gabriel was sucking hungrily at his mouth, matching Sam's vigor with every kiss. The angel was tugging at his hair, but it was unpleasant. He pulled away from Sam's mouth only to latch onto his jaw, mouthing it relentlessly with his tongue and his lips. Sam shut his eyes. He let the pricks of desire surge down his body towards his groin. Gabriel kissed his chin firmly then smiled and went back to his mouth. Open mouthed kisses, Sam decided hazily, were the best.

_For God's sake, he's naked._

"You need to turn down your brainwaves," Gabriel mumbled against his neck, mouth leaving bruising marks in its wake. Sam felt his hands shift to slide down from Gabriel's shoulders to his chest, gently circling the hole Lucifer made over his heart. The angel pulled off his neck with a startled noise, quickly going to cover it up by claiming Sam's mouth again. Sam could almost taste the desperation there. Just as his hands were beginning to trail lower down Gabriel's body to rub small circles into his hips, there was a loud thud in the other room followed by some hushed voices.

Sam pulled back quickly and shot a look towards the door. Gabriel was already wriggling, trying to pick himself up, to prepare himself. It would have been comical, the determination on his strained face, if Sam's heart wasn't threaten to beat out of his chest. He lowered his hand towards his ankle, where he kept a small knife just in case.

"Stay in here," he murmured to Gabriel, climbing to his feet.

He brushed his hair out of his eyes and held the small blade in front of him as he approached the door. The voices were getting louder, a little clearer. Demons wouldn't be talking so loudly to each other... unless they didn't know Sam and Gabriel were in the bathroom... but the shower was running.

"Thanks Cas, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up..."

"Dean, I will always come when you call."

Sam stepped out into the room, blinking stupidly. Dean was lying on a bed, looking a little beat to hell with a slowly forming black eye and more than a couple of scrapes. He looked relaxed though, clutching one of Castiel's hands firmly in his own. His eyes were closed as Sam approached. Castiel glanced up briefly to watch Sam walk closer before returning his gaze to Dean. He didn't ask why Sam was soaking wet. He held a hand over Dean's chest and slowly began pouring grace through his brother's body, mending broken bones and knitting back together the torn muscles. Sam noticed that the hand Castiel gripped was slowly running its thumb over Castiel's knuckles, almost reassuringly. It was too affectionate of a gesture for Sam to overlook; he didn't mention it though as he sat on the other side of the bed and watched his brother heal.

He felt horrible.

"Dean..." he mumbled, glancing worriedly at Castiel.

The angel was no longer pumping Dean's body full of grace yet his hand hovered over his brother's chest regardless, hesitant to pull away. He finally settled it there, gently running his fingers over the smooth curves of Dean's chest.

"He was fine when I arrived," Castiel noted after a while, "He merely required backup."

"I should have been there," Sam sighed, torn between reaching out for his brother and letting Castiel be the only one to touch him.

The angel glanced solemnly at Sam.

"I'm under the impression that you saved Gabriel from demons. Then by the looks of things, mended his wounds."

Sam glanced up to see Gabriel standing in the doorway of the bathroom, towel wrapped securely around his waist. He was gently touching the stitches of the small hole in his chest, pushing his wet hair back with his other hand. Sam jumped in surprise when Castiel leaned across Dean's body and rested a hand on his knee. The angel attempted a small smile.

"You have not abandoned my brother, I will not abandon yours," he said quietly, pulling back his hand.

It was then Dean groaned slightly, eyes still clutched tightly closed.

"Enough of the girlie moments, guys, or I'm going to puke rainbows," he muttered, "Everyone here and accounted for?"

He cracked open an eye and glanced around, rolling said eye upward when he saw Gabriel in a towel, smirking at him.

"Christ, cause that's what I want to see right now," he grunted, sighing as he lay back on a pillow, "I say we call it a day, Cas and I ganked all those demons back at the hospital. No more special surprises today."

Sam nodded slowly, getting off the bed to find Gabriel some clothes. He tugged out his smallest shirt, tossing it to the angel. Gabriel caught it easily and wandered back into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door as he dropped his towel and began fishing around for his pants. Castiel stared evenly, unbothered as Dean groaned and threw an arm over his face.

"Jesus, there is no decency."

Gabriel smirked as he tugged up his pants and pulled the shirt clumsily over his head. He was nearly swimming in it.

"Not like there's anything you haven't seen already," the blonde said teasingly, waving a hand around indicating to Dean's hand that still grasped Castiel's, "Especially if you got something going on with my baby bro there."

Dean scoffed and pulled away from Castiel's hand immediately, as if it were on fire. Castiel glanced down at him and frowned.

"I don't understand," he rumbled in his deep voice.

Dean glared up at him but said nothing as he shuffled around, making himself comfortable.

"I'm going to sleep," he announced, turning on his side and closing his eyes again.

Castiel stared at him in confusion as Gabriel flopped onto the other bed and made himself comfy.

"Sleep sounds good," he commented, resting his hands behind his wet head. He glanced over at Sam, eyes again dancing in amusement,"Wanna cuddle?"

Sam rolled his eyes but sat on the other side of the bed, slowly removing his shoes. He glanced at Castiel as the angel rose and stood beside a chair, debating whether or not he would sit.

"You sticking around Cas?" he asked gently.

The angel looked perplexed for a moment before nodded and taking a seat.

"I will watch over you," he said, folding his hands across his lap. He locked his eyes on Dean's back and they seemed to soften slightly, "Sleep Sam."

Sam blinked, feeling his eyelids grow heavy all of a sudden. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as Castiel turned and looked at him, his endless blue eyes revealing nothing. Sam sighed as he leaned back into a pillow and closed his eyes. He barely registered that Gabriel was already snoring lightly beside him, hands still tucked behind his head. In a few moments, he welcomed the infinite darkness as it spread from his closed eyes through his body and up to his mind, shutting it off. Sam slept.

**88888**


End file.
